


Nervous Habits

by RagtimeSpecter



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Flirting, Flustered Ouma Kokichi, Food mentions, I just wanted to write Ouma being embarrassed, M/M, Out of Character, Some swearing and sexual innuendo but mostly appropriate, implied kaimaki and kiiruma, kokichi has braces, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:08:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28179621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RagtimeSpecter/pseuds/RagtimeSpecter
Summary: In this light, the wire of his braces sparkled, and the purple bands on them looked especially adorable. The skin beside his eyes crinkled and Shuichi took notice of the freckles peppering his face, particularly the slightly dark dots along his lips. Without thinking, Shuichi said, "You look nice when you smile, Kichi."Or, count how many times I can say “blush”,”smile”, and “laugh”.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 127





	Nervous Habits

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the positive reception on my last fic! Heads up, this is kinda out of character, mainly Shuichi is more confident and Kokichi is more easily embarrassed. Also this wasn’t proofread so sorry for any typos. Enjoy!

Shuichi really didn't try to do it, at first.

They were just talking, as they did so often at breakfast, with Kokichi telling him embellished stories and harsh gossip (unasked). Shuichi was trying to eat his eggs, but couldn't even get through the first mouthful before he laughed and choked on it at Kokichi's "ride 'em, space cowboy!" about Kaito.

Kokichi and everyone else looked at him and he flustered as he washed it down with water. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kokichi's impish smile and Kaito's scowl. "See, Momota-kun? Saihara-chan thinks I'm hilarious!"

"Sorry," Shuichi snorted. "...It was kinda funny."

Kaito shook his head and opened his mouth to retort when Kokichi blurted out, "Of course it was funny! I'm the funniest man alive, supreme leader of comedy! You wanna know what's funnier than that? Hey, Momota! Momota, hey, look at me!"

"Why don't you shut up and let us eat in—"

"Bitch."

Kokichi was overcome with laughter at Kaito's agape face of shock and disgust. A few tears came to his eyes and he rubbed them through a few fits of chuckles. "Wait, Kaito I'm sorry. Look over here real quick." Kaito furrowed his brow as he turned back around and opened his mouth. "Bitch."

The way Kokichi cackled reminded Shuichi of a hyena. Still, the whole situation choked a few laughs out of him. Kiibo turned to him and pursed his lips. "Shuichi don't encourage him..."

"See? If Shumai likes it, it can't be that bad," Kokichi taunted. Shuichi playfully elbowed him and Kokichi elbowed him back with a wide grin. In this light, the wire of his braces sparkled, and the purple bands on them looked especially adorable. The skin beside his eyes crinkled and Shuichi took notice of the freckles peppering his face, particularly the slightly dark dots along his lips. 

Without thinking, Shuichi said, "You look nice when you smile, Kichi."

Regret almost immediately overtook him when he saw Kokichi freeze. For a second, his heart stopped. Fuck, he thought, that was weird, everyone is looking because that was weird and not something you say to your friends (slash, enemies). Then, he saw Kokichi's face turn red, and felt his heart flutter a little. He clearly wasn't the only one, because Miu started roaring with laughter.

"Oh my god! You're such a fucking virgin, aha! Look at him! Keeb, Keeby look at him!" Kiibo snorted a bit and Kokichi quickly jumped to roll his eyes and smile again.

"You'd know something about that, wouldn't you, Miu?" She gaped and flipped him off, opening her mouth to yell. "What, you want me to stick something in there?"

"...I thought it was pretty cute too, Kokichi," Kiibo added. Shuichi snorted and looked back to Kokichi, but he wasn't blushing anymore. He just rolled his eyes and scoffed as he got up with his bag.

"Yawn. You could at least be original when you flirt with me. Besides, I could never betray my beloved Shumai." Kokichi hugged him tightly around the shoulders and Shuichi sat up straight, his eyes burning right through Kiibo next to him. After a second, he let up and brushed himself off dramatically. "Bluh. It's like hugging a slug, you should do something back, y'know. Like, mmm, smooch me! Come on, right on the lips, cutie! Mwah!"

Shuichi sputtered and Kokichi laughed at him, showing his mouth full of adorable braces again. "Anyways, I have to go plot my next great bank heist and get it to my subordinates, it's so hard being the greatest criminal mastermind in the world!" He sighed like a child before he flipped back to his energetic self. "Later, lame-brains! And Saihara-chan.”

As he left through the back of the dining hall, Shuichi saw him blow a kiss back to him. 

Miu kicked her feet up on the table as she picked the cereal out of her teeth. "Eugh. That gremlin's really been grinding my gears lately, and not in the sexy way."

"Mine too...uh, not literally," Kiibo replied.

"Yeah, I wouldn't let that happen to you."

"I know. But did you see that, Shuichi? He didn't even care when I said he was cute." Kiibo caught Shuichi's eyes and Shuichi felt a little zap at the base of his spine. That was odd.

"True...Maybe the shock had already set in for him?" Miu scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Y'know, Suckhara, you're real stupid for the ultimate detective." 

Shuichi sighed and tugged on his hair. "I know."

"You're telling me you think that little shit has feelings for Shuichi?" Kaito said. He looked horrified. 

"Hey, we don't know that," Shuichi interjected. "...We can run a couple other trials."

"Hey! No, no more trials!" Kiibo added. 

"No, no, like experiments," Shuichi explained. 

Maki spoke up for the first time that morning, eyebrow quirked up. She almost looked expressive. "You mean you're going to flirt with him? What's that gonna do?"

"Well, it'll give me more shit to make fun of him for, first off," Miu said. 

"Yeah, that, but...if Kokichi thinks I like him, and he likes me..." Shuichi cleared his throat, looking into his eggs like a crystal ball, "Maybe I can try to reign him in a little."

"Ah, you don't gotta make it all noble and shit, it's fine if you wanna take the twerp off our hands." Shuichi had never wanted to walk away from Miu more. He tilted down his hat to hide his red face.

"That's actually not a half bad idea!" Kaito exclaimed. He stood up and fixed his coat, gathering his things. "Come on, Shuichi, I'll help you figure out just how to do it! Harumaki, I bet you could help us come up with some lines, too!" The table giggled when Maki pulled on her pigtails and groaned. Kaito smiled obliviously. "Let's go, sidekicks!"

•••

"You think this'll work?"

"Absolutely!" Kaito exclaimed, over Maki's "not really."

"Alright." Shuichi adjusted his hat and wiggled his hands. "I'll tell you how it goes." 

"Go gettem tiger!" Kaito gave him a thumbs-up, and Shuichi was off to the courtyard. Sure enough, Kokichi was there, hanging upside down off of a bench with his gaze focused on his notepad. Or, it was, until he snapped up to smile at Shuichi.

"Saihara-chan! I haven't seen you since breakfast, I've been waiting to tell you allll about my new plan to invade the British Isles!" He held out his notebook and pointed to a scribbly drawing of a bird. "That's me!" Then he pointed to a worm with a hat. "That one's you." He giggled and Shuichi smiled back at him, squatting to level with him. 

"That's cute. You're a great artist, Kokichi." Saihara felt his heart sink a little when Kokichi hardly reacted beyond a wink and laugh. Shit.

"You're trying to flatter me, huh, Saihara-chan?" That sunken joy burned right out of him entirely. Double shit. He yelped when Kokichi yanked him forwards by the collar of his suit. "You know who you're messing with, right?" He pulled him a little closer. Shuichi could feel Kokichi's hot breath against his cheek. It carried a slightly sweet scent with it that warmed him to his core. "But between you and me, Shumai, I think you're the loveliest person I've ever seen."

His lips were almost touching Shuichi's cheek. He took in a shaky breath and closed his eyes. His face was hot, which became even more evident when Kokichi's cold fingers against them made him jump. Then, he heard Kokichi giggle, and felt all that closeness disappear.

"Oh my god! Saihara-Chan likes me, Saihara-Chan likes me!" Kokichi taunted. Saihara yipped and Kokichi laughed harder. "Saihara-Chan wants me to kiss him soooo bad!" 

"What? No I don't!" 

"Well, that was fun!" Kokichi got up and stretched back, before he shook his joints loose and grinned at Shuichi. "Call me anytime if you wanna follow up, cute-ichi!" He grinned mischievously when he saw Shuichi flush red again, running off before he could say goodbye. 

"How'd it go? Did you do it?" Kaito shouted ecstatically when he saw Shuichi run in. His excitement faded when he saw Shuichi's rosy face. 

The contest was at a tie.

•••

Kokichi had a habit of appearing at the worst times. For example, when Shuichi was outside his room, about to open his door, a minute before curfew.

"Shumai! My beloved!" Shuichi shouted when Kokichi jumped onto his back and hugged him. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Outside my apartment?" Shuichi smiled while he unlocked the door. "It's funnier seeing you here. M-Maybe someone will start thinking you have a crush on me if you keep following me around like this."

"Supreme leaders don't have time for romance," Kokichi groaned. "But maybe I'd make an exception for you, mister ultimate detective."

"And I you, my ultimate supreme leader." Shuichi opened the door just as the curfew announcement went off. "Uh, you wanna come i— Kokichi?"

When he turned around, Shuichi saw Kokichi look away. He widened his eyes in surprise and simpered, almost smugly. "Sorry, did I embarrass you?"

"...Ha. A-As if my beloved Saihara-Chan could embarrass me." Shuichi could see in his clenched jaw and knit eyebrows that he was lying.

"You're real stuttery, almost like you're not as confident as you say you are."

"God, this isn't an interrogation room, y'know. Why would you want me in your room anyways? Is Saihara-chan really that much of a pervert? Miu was right about your hat, huh?" Kokichi giggled.

"What? No!"

"Lemme take that off your hands, just to be sure!" Kokichi snatched the hat off of his head and went running. Shuichi huffed and made a mental note to get it back tomorrow. 

•••

"There you are!" Kokichi snickered when Shuichi grabbed his hat back and fixed it back over his messy hair. "I've been looking for this everywhere!"

"Aw, I was hoping you'd let me keep it!" Kokichi whined. "It smells just like you."

"That’s...creepy." Saihara tapped his foot against the floor and leaned back against the creme wall of the dining hall. He beat his hat against his knee and fit it back onto his head, an expression of joy crossing his face as an idea wormed its way into his head. “But as long as it’s you, I guess I don’t mind.”

“Wow, that one was almost flattering,” he teased back. “You’re so lucky I love you, Shumai.” Shuichi choked and Kokichi crowed with a bright smile. 

“Do you really?” 

Kokichi startled for a moment, but tried to play it off as he leaned back against the table. “Of course not, I hate you so much, Saihara-chan!”

“Is that a lie?”

And then, he clammed up. Kokichi’s jaw was wound tight like a vise around his teeth, and his eyes were stilly unwound, staring at him in an almost mannequin-esque fashion. Shuichi cocked his head to the side and his lips parted. His whisper tickled Kokichi’s ears like a feather. “Is it?”

Kokichi sunk into his scarf and fumbled to pull it up over his face. “Y’know, I’d love to keep talking to you, but I have some really important commands to send into my—”

His words trickled down and out of his mouth as Shuichi’s hand gently ran up to his cheek and his thumb rubbed over his cheekbone. “It’s okay if you like me, Kokichi.”

“Oh, how could I not like such a handsome, brave, smart detective like Saihara-chan?” Kokichi cursed himself to hell and back when he noticed Shuichi staring at his finger as it played with his hair. He felt Shuichi’s hand shaking against his face, and just as he was about to tease him, he shut his mouth again behind his scarf. Shu pulled his hat down a bit but continued talking, even if he couldn’t look at Kokichi as he said it.

“If it makes you feel better, I think you’re pretty great, Kokichi,” he stammered. “And I think it’s really cute that you hide behind your scarf like that.”

“I’m not hiding!” Kokichi squawked. “You’re just saying that because you want me to stop lying. I know why you’ve been doing this, Saihara. You have to be observant to be an ultimate supreme leader, you know. You don’t have to lie to me.”

“Kokichi, that’s not it!” Shuichi covered his mouth a bit, but went on, “I mean, I do want to help you become better. But I’ve...really liked talking to you like this, Kokichi. It’s fun to see you flustered, or excited. And I think it’s made me feel just a bit braver about myself. B-But I understand if you can’t trust me for wanting to sort of change you. You shouldn’t have to change. And maybe I don’t approve of everything you do, but I still love you for who you are. Flaws and all.”

Kokichi could hardly move. All he could hear after that was the brush in the wind and his heart in his ears. His eyes traced the upturned Cupid’s bow of Shuichi’s lip and the warmth in his eyes. Then, he wrapped his arms around Shuichi and pulled him stumbling forwards into a hug, with his face against Shuichi’s shoulder and his hands holding onto the back of his soft suit. 

“I guess Shumai finally figured out his way into my heart,” Kokichi sighed dramatically. “You’re soooo corny. Good thing I take so much pity— eep!” 

Shuichi placed a chaste kiss against his cheek and Kokichi ducked down into his scarf again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Not my best work but I’m hoping to post some better written Shironaga soon, so if you like Tsumugi/Angie heads up. :0


End file.
